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<h1>It's all in the past</h1>

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<center><span class="summary">Outline</span></center>
<ol>
<li><a href="#part1">Changing verbs to the past tense</a></li>
<li><a href="#part2">Past tense for ru-verbs</a></li>
<li><a href="#part3">Past tense for u-verbs</a></li>
<li><a href="#part4">Past-negative tense for all verbs</a></li>
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<h2 id="part1">Changing verbs to the past tense</h2>
We will finish defining all the basic properties of verbs by learning how to express the past and past-negative tense of actions.  I will warn you in advance that the
conjugation rules in this section will be the most complex rules you will learn in all of Japanese.  On the one hand, once you have this section nailed, all
other rules of conjugation will seem simple.  On the other hand, you might need to refer back to this section many times before you finally get all
the rules.  You will probably need a great deal of practice until you can become familiar with all the different conjugations.

<h2 id="part2">Past tense for ru-verbs</h2>
We will start off with the easy ru-verb category.  To change a ru-verb from the dictionary form into the past tense, you simply drop the 「る」 and add 「た」.

<div class="sumbox">
<span class="summary">To change ru-verbs into the past tense</span>
<ul class="plain">
<li>Drop the 「る」 part of the ru-verb and add 「た」</li>
<li>例）<span title="でる - to come out" class="popup">出<em><strike>る</strike></em></span> → <span title="でる - to come out" class="popup">出<em>た</em></span></li>
<li>例）<span title="すてる - to throw away" class="popup">捨て<em><strike>る</strike></em></span> → <span title="すてる - to throw away" class="popup">捨て<em>た</em></span></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>
（１）　<span title="ごはん - meal" class="popup">ご飯</span>は、<em><span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べた</span></em>。
<br />- As for meal, ate.
</p>
<p>
（２）　<span title="えいが - movie" class="popup">映画</span>は、<span title="ぜんぶ - all" class="popup">全部</span><em><span title="みる - to see" class="popup">見た</span></em>。
<br />- As for movie, saw them all.
</p>

<h2 id="part3">Past tense for u-verbs</h2>
Changing a u-verb from dictionary form to the past tense is difficult because we must break up u-verbs into four additional categories.  These
four categories depend on the last character of the verb.  The table below illustrates the different sub-categories.
In addition, there is one exception to the rules, which is the verb 「<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行く</span>」.  I've bundled it with the regular
exception verbs 「<span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span>」
and 「<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来る</span>」 even though 「<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行く</span>」
is a regular u-verb in all other conjugations.

<p />
<center>
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<tr>

<td>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Past tense conjugations for u-verbs</caption>

<tr><th>Ending</th><th>Non-Past</th><th>changes to...</th><th>Past</th></tr>

<tr align="center">
<td>す</td>
<td><span title="はなす - to speak" class="popup">話<em>す</em></span></td>
<td>す→した</td><td><span title="はなす - to speak" class="popup">話<em>した</em></span></td></tr>

<tr align="center"><td>く<br />ぐ</td>
<td><span title="かく - to write" class="popup">書<em>く</em></span><br /><span title="およぐ - to swim" class="popup">泳<em>ぐ</em></span></td>
<td>く→いた<br />ぐ→いだ</td>
<td><span title="かく - to write" class="popup">書<em>いた</em></span><br /><span title="およぐ - to swim" class="popup">泳<em>いだ</em></span></td></tr>

<tr align="center"><td>む<br />ぶ<br />ぬ</td>
<td><span title="かむ - to bite" class="popup">噛<em>む</em></span><br /><span title="あそぶ - to play" class="popup">遊<em>ぶ</em></span><br /><span title="しぬ - to die" class="popup">死<em>ぬ</em></span></td>
<td>む→んだ<br />ぶ→んだ<br />ぬ→んだ</td>
<td><span title="かむ - to bite" class="popup">噛<em>んだ</em></span><br /><span title="あそぶ - to play" class="popup">遊<em>んだ</em></span><br /><span title="しぬ - to die" class="popup">死<em>んだ</em></span></td></tr>

<tr align="center"><td>る<br />う<br />つ</td>
<td><span title="きる - to cut" class="popup">切<em>る</em></span><br /><span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買<em>う</em></span><br /><span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持<em>つ</em></span></td>
<td>る→った<br />う→った<br />つ→った</td>
<td><span title="きる - to cut" class="popup">切<em>った</em></span><br /><span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買<em>った</em></span><br /><span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持<em>った</em></span></td></tr>

</table>
</td>

<td rowspan="2">
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</td>

<td valign="top">
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>Exceptions</caption>
<tr align="center"><th>Non-Past</th><th>Past</th></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="する - to do" class="popup">する</span></td><td><span title="する - to do" class="popup">し<em>た</em></span></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">くる</span></td><td><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">き<em>た</em></span></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行く</span></td><td><span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行<em>った</em></span>*</td></tr>
</table>
</td>

</tr>
</table>
* exceptions particular to this conjugation
</center>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>
（１）　<span title="きょう - today" class="popup">今日</span>は、<em><span title="はしる - to run" class="popup">走った</span></em>。
<br />- As for today, ran.
</p>
<p>
（２）　<span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span>が<em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来た</span></em>。
<br />- Friend is the one that came.
</p>
<p>
（３）　<span title="わたし - me, myself, I" class="popup">私</span>も<em><span title="あそぶ - to play" class="popup">遊んだ</span></em>。
<br />- I also played.
</p>
<p>
（４）　<span title="べんきょう - study" class="popup">勉強</span>は、<em><span title="する - to do" class="popup">した</span></em>。
<br />- About homework, did it.
</p>

<h2 id="part4">Past-negative tense for all verbs</h2>
The conjugation rules for the past-negative tense are the same for <i>all</i> verbs. You might have noticed that the negative tense of just about everything always end in 「ない」.
The conjugation rule for the past-negative tense of verbs is pretty much the same as all the other negative tenses that end in 「ない」.
You simply take the negative tense of any verb, remove the 「い」 from the 「ない」 ending, and replace it with 「かった」.

<div class="sumbox">
<span class="summary">To change verbs into the past-negative tense</span>
<ul class="plain">
<li>Change the first verb to the <a href="negverb.html#part2"><i>negative tense</i></a> and replace the 「い」 with 「かった」</li>
<li>例）<span title="すてる - to throw away" class="popup">捨て<em>る</em></span> → <span title="すてる - to throw away" class="popup">捨てな<em><strike>い</strike></em></span> → <span title="すてる - to throw away" class="popup">捨てな<em>かった</em></span></li>
<li>例）<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行<em>く</em></span> → <span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行かな<em><strike>い</strike></em></span> → <span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行かな<em>かった</em></span></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>
<p>
（１）　アリスは<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べな<em>かった</em></span>。
<br />- As for Alice, did not eat.
</p>
<p>
（２）　ジムが<span title="する - to do" class="popup">しな<em>かった</em></span>。
<br />- Jim is the one that did not do.
</p>
<p>
（３）　ボブも<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">行かな<em>かった</em></span>。
<br />- Bob also did not go.
</p>
<p>
（４）　<span title="おかね - money" class="popup">お金</span>が<em><span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">なかった</span></em>。
<br />- There was no money. (lit: As for money, did not exist.)
</p>
<p>
（５）　<span title="わたし - me, myself, I" class="popup">私</span>は<em><span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買わなかった</span></em>。
<br />- As for me, did not buy.
</p>
<p>
（６）　<span title="ねこ - cat" class="popup">猫</span>は<em><span title="いる- to exist (animate)" class="popup">いなかった</span></em>。
<br />- There was no cat. (lit: As for cat, did not exist.)
</p>

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<div class="small" style="text-align:right;"><pre>This page has last been revised on 2007/1/3
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